The United States plans to sell four MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones to Ukraine, which can be armed with Hellfire guided air-to-ground missiles.
This was reported by Reuters, citing sources close to the issue.
The sale of these drones has yet to be considered by Congress. The administration of President Joe Biden intends to inform Congress about the possible sale of MQ-1C to Ukraine in the coming days, after which a public statement is expected.
For Ukraine, the sale of the MQ-1C will be of great importance, as these drones take the countryʼs defense to a new level. MQ-1C is an advanced American system that is capable of inflicting numerous deep blows on targets and staying in the air for over 30 hours. Gray Eagle can carry eight Hellfire missiles and many times larger than the already familiar Bayraktar-TB2.
- On June 1, the Pentagon published a list of weapons that Ukraine will receive under the 11th $ 700 million military aid package. The list includes HIMARS, Mi-17 helicopters and Javelin MANPADS.
- On June 1, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the new weapon would not only curb Russian aggression but also strengthen Ukraineʼs position during the talks. He added that Ukraine had promised not to use these weapons for targets in Russia. There has been controversy over HIMARS, which can hit targets with individual charges at a distance of up to 300 kilometers.
- Ukraine will also buy another 60 AHS Krab self-propelled howitzers in Poland, in addition to the 18 already received. Ukraine can receive M270 missile systems from Britain.